Far from the fruit and vegetable counters of the supermarkets, crowded with the usual courgettes and salads, the forgotten vegetables they lie silent in the fields of small and medium-sized farmers, waiting to be rediscovered or, at least, recognised. They are obsolete vegetables, protagonists of the cuisine of past generations and small local realities, whose cultivation has often been handed down from family to family so that no trace is lost. Or rather, the seed. They have authentic flavours e unique nutritional properties which can contribute to making everyday cooking more varied and original.
White aubergines, colored carrots, red or black celery, zucchini squashed to look like spaceships, purple broccoli and giant radishes similar to grapefruit. Overshadowed by the predominant presence of their commercial counterparts (certainly more accessible), however, they deserve to be re-evaluated. The reasons? Diverse: to support plant biodiversity, support small farmers and enrich the diet from various culinary and nutritional points of view.
Forgotten vegetables: why are they good for health?
Modern diets are often reduced to a limited number of plant species, but following a monotonous diet leads to always taking the same nutrients. «All vegetables share some characteristics: they are rich in water, fiber and low in calories and sugars», he explains Laura Rossiresearcher of Create Food and Nutrition. «There is however a part, that of the so-called secondary compounds, in which they are extremely different from each other. They are defined as secondary because they are present in modest quantities, but they are not at all as regards their impact on health. They too are responsible for the positive effects vegetables have on our physiology. Last but not least, to prevent important chronic degenerative diseases».
The benefits of polyphenols, glucosinolates, carotenoids
It’s about polyphenols (which includes flavonoids), glucosinolati, carotenoids. As the Higher Institute of Health explains in a document dedicated to biologically active substances present in plant foods, these compounds perform various functions including:
Antioxidant activity Modulation of detoxifying enzymes Stimulation of the immune system Modulation of hormonal metabolism Reduction of blood pressure Antibacterial and antiviral activity.
«These compounds are present in vegetables to varying degrees, so if we eat many different varieties of them, we not only support biodiversity in the plant world», continues the Crea expert, «but we are also exposed to a vast range of bioactive molecules which contribute, each one in a specific way, to our state of health».
Vegetables: alternate colors and vary purchasing channels
Varying vegetables means diversifying their colors and types. “The first piece of advice is alternate the five colors as much as possible, since color is a visible expression of the bioactive compounds contained in a vegetable. A yellow-orange vegetable contains carotenoids, a red one contains many flavonoids such as quercetin and lycopene, a dark, purplish one is instead rich in anthocyanins», suggests Rossi.
“The second piece of advice is vary the purchasing channels. At the supermarket we find commonly used products, while going to a small producer allows us to discover less known and used species, which we had forgotten or did not know». Raffaella Ponziowho coordinates the project of the Italian Slow Food presidia, has been working for years on the preservation of traditional Italian varieties that are at risk of being lost.
“In the last seventy years, with the emergence of an industrialized agricultural model, many traditional vegetables have disappeared from the market,” he says. “Partly because the most marginal agricultural territories have depopulated and therefore the cultivated areas have reduced, partly because the more productive commercial seeds have replaced traditional seeds”. But these vegetables, selected over time by the farmers, have acquired characteristics linked to the territory, a precise identity in terms of morphological characteristics (shapes, colours), flavors and nutritional values.
Forgotten vegetables: which ones are found in spring and summer?
Colored carrots
Not too far from the sea, in one of the most famous municipalities of Puglia, the colored carrots of Polignano are grown. Medium-length vegetables, from 15 to 22 centimeters, have an infinite number of shades: from the classic orange to pale yellow and intense yellow, up to dark purple. «The more intense the color, the more they are rich in anthocyanins», Pontius informs. «But the extraordinary nature of this variety lies in their taste, because being the production area near the sea, brackish water is used for cultivation which contributes to making the carrots quite tasty».
White aubergines
Also unusual is the white aubergine originally from Senise, in Basilicata, with its elongated shape and sweeter taste than the purple one. «The cultivation and processing of white aubergines today is reduced to a few farms, above all due to the lack of knowledge of this vegetable, which has been supplanted on the market by the better known purple variety».
On a nutritional level, even if they lack the characteristic purple pigment, however, they may contain anthocyanins in smaller quantities. Perfect preserved in oil, a preparation that makes it available all year round, the white aubergine can be prepared similarly to the purple one with parmigiana (see recipe on the right), in mushrooms, breaded or baked au gratin. «Traditionally», the Slow Food expert still suggests, «it is also prepared inside the ciambotta, an onion-based condiment, or in small boats filled with the same pulp, with bread, anchovies and capers and subsequently cooked in the oven».
Patisserie courgette
As he tells Morello Pecchiolijournalist and archaeo-gastronome, in his book The forgotten vegetables. Knowing and cooking ancient, unusual and curious vegetables (Gribaudo, 2016), the patissone, or patissone courgette, looks like a small spaceship. Yellow, white, orange or pale green, the patissone zucchini contains small amounts of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols e carotenoids depending on the color and «it has a flavor similar to that of common courgettes, albeit more decisive, with an aftertaste of artichoke.
It can be prepared in various ways: boiled and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, stewed, cooked in the oven (as in the recipe on the right), au gratin, fried or transformed into puree. And like the other courgettes it can be used for risottos, soups, creams».
Grapefruit radish
Also curious and forgotten is the so-called grapefruit radish which, more than its small red relative, resembles a turnip. «But the marvel», the journalist recounts in his book, «happens when it opens halfway and a tiny brilliant star appears. It is as if a tiny electric magenta sun had been imprisoned in that greenish-white shell, with a myriad of rays that branch out from the center towards the periphery». Like the red radish, it can be eaten raw, in pinzimonio, with a little salt and pepper and in mixed salads, or, Pecchioli advises, «with boiled potatoes and a condiment with yoghurt sauce. Equally pleasant, especially in summer, is the exotic salad with avocado. The one with apples and various lettuce is excellent».
Forgotten vegetables: which ones are found in autumn and winter?
Red and black celery
Trevi black celery (Credits: www.umbriatourism.it)
Two sides of the same coin, that of the common bright green celery, the Trevi black and the Orbassano red they are very long and richly flavored varieties, one darker, the other reddish-violet. «The peculiarities of black celery, which is grown near Terni, are its length, so much so that it can measure up to one metre, its dark green ribs and the fact that it is completely threadless and very fragrant», continues L Slow Food expert Raffaella Ponzio. «Its flavor is enhanced in the cuisine of Treviso. The classic pinzimonio, black celery parmigiana, stuffed celery, a rich recipe that in the combination of vegetables, sausage, extra virgin olive oil well summarizes the originality and the common thread of the gastronomy of this area».
On the other hand, the roots of the red celery of Orbassano sink in France. It seems that in the 17th century the Duchess of Savoy, wife of King Vittorio Amedeo II, brought with her from France the violet celery of Tours, tastier and more tender than that grown in Piedmont. «Over time, the French violet celery has acclimatised well in the vegetable gardens surrounding the city of Turin, especially in the soils rich in water in the Orbassano area. Thus it developed its characteristic red color at the base of the ribs and a slightly almond flavor which makes it interesting for gastronomic use».
Greek cabbage
Credits: www.agricoltura.regione.campania.it
In Campania, between Naples and Caserta, curly torzella (also known as Greek cabbage) grows, with long and curled leaves, one of the oldest varieties of cabbage in the world. “It is a crucifer known for its extraordinary nutritional properties,” says Ponzio. «A portion of curly torzella a day can cover the daily requirement of vitamin A and C. For this reason, for the farmers of the area it is the perfect food to face the winter season». Torzella sprouts are eaten fresh in mixed salads, or in soups of traditional Neapolitan peasant cuisine, such as the famous maritata.
In the form of preserves, on the other hand, it is the protagonist of Neapolitan tables in the summer: in the hot season it is often combined, after a short cooking, with San Marzano tomatoes. Today the torzella is sold both fresh and in oil or transformed into a cream, to be used for appetizers or as a sauce for pasta.
Purple broccoli
Another forgotten variety of the brassicaceae family is the purple broccoli from Priverno, in the province of Latina, known locally as chiacchietegli. «The deep purple color of these shoots is due to the presence of anthocyanins», explains the Slow Food expert. «They have a delicate flavor and can be preserved in oil, eaten fresh or cooked following the traditional recipes of the area, such as the chiacchiegli soup».
To prepare it, a terracotta pot is used, sautéed with garlic and oil and then the chiacchietegli are added, without the base of the inflorescence, which is often hard. When they are cooked, they are poured onto slices of stale bread, accompanied by a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Forgotten vegetables: where to find and buy them?
Many of the varieties described are Slow Food Presidia and you can buy them right in their production area, at local farms or retailers. “We ask producers to cultivate according to sustainable practices, using natural, organic fertilizers, avoiding the use of chemical herbicides and limiting the use of synthetic products to the bare essentials and in unavoidable cases”, says Raffaella Ponzio. «We also ask you to create narrating labels, which illustrate all the production steps: where and how the product was grown and how it can be used in the kitchen».
Finding these vegetables in large retailers is difficult, but not impossible. «Some principals, active for years, distribute nationally or in some local supermarkets. But most of these varieties», concludes the expert, «are purchased in local producers’ markets, directly on the farm or through buying groups».